It's raining a lot so summer's here! Recently i've been strawberry picking (pick one, eat one) and last year I destroyed a pan trying to make jam. So this time I decided for a safer, but far more sophisticated option. Strawberry Champagne jelly. My 1st attempt.
I've never used gelatine before, so this was a 1st too. It's a doddle. I used leaf gelatine (over powder) as it was recommended as being easier, by the chef of this dish, a bit of a relative unknown called Ramsey.
You can find this in his book, Just Desserts.
Serves 8:
600g strawberries hulled
100g caster sugar
juice of 1 lemon
8 sheets of leaf gelatine
75 cl bottle of pink Champagne or sparkling rose (I used rose, due to poverty)
2 tablespoons creme de peche (I couldn't find this so used creme de framboise)
1. Slice 500g of the strawberries and place in a large, heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir in the sugar and lemon juice. Cover the bowl with cling-film and leave it like this for 30-40 minutes.
2. Check the water in the pan and keep topping up occasionally. The fruits will yield a clear pink jus.
3. Meanwhile line a large sieve with wet muslin and place over a clean bowl. Pour the strawberry jus into the sieve and leave it to drip through, but don't rub the pulp otherwise the jus will lose its clarity.
At this point Ramsey says discard the fruit pulp but what you'll have at this point is a sticky load of strawberries, which have still got some of their shape, like semi-jam. I say don't bin them, but when they're cold, stir in some plain fromage frais and serve a small dollop on top of the set jelly.
4. Soften the gelatine sheets in cold water (leave them to soak in bowl of cold water for 5 minutes). Meanwhile, pour the strawberry jus into a clean pan and heat until the point of boiling. Take off the heat. Remove the gelatine from the cold water, squeeze out any excess water then slip into the hot jus, whisking until dissolved. Pass through a sieve into a bowl.
5. Allow to cool, then mix in the champagne and creme de peche. Leave until the jelly is cold and just on the point of setting.
6. Meanwhile, thinly slice the remaining 100g strawberries. Have ready 8 wine glasses of Champagne flutes. Dip the strawberries into a little of the setting jelly and stick to the side of the glass. (I did this before the jelly was fully set and then lay the glasses on their sides in the fridge, so the strawberries were well stuck on when i added the jelly)
7. To make the jelly sparkle, whisk the setting jelly (lightly, you don't want to make the Champers go flat) until it's lightly frothy. Divide it between the glasses and chill until completely set.
8. To serve, Ramsey recommends a thin float of double cream, or a layer of raspberry cream and a spoonful of whipped cream. I say use the strawberries from earlier, mix with fromage frais, and put a dollop on top that's tidier than my effort.
So what's it like? Well it's fair to say that i'm not a fan of jelly. And this is a recipe from a chef with 3 Michelin stars. Ramsey wins. This tastes fantastic. Unlike cheap packet-jelly gloop, this is light and as Ramsey says, "the Champagne bubbles add a pretty pickle as you bite into the soft melting texture." It's fizzy jelly!
The texture's much lighter to that of packet-jelly. Packet-jelly wobbles. This shimmies.
Couldn't you just see yourself eating one of these on a hot summer day at Wimbledon? I've never been so I had one whilst watching Ana Ivanovic go crashing out.
600g strawberries hulled
100g caster sugar
juice of 1 lemon
8 sheets of leaf gelatine
75 cl bottle of pink Champagne or sparkling rose (I used rose, due to poverty)
2 tablespoons creme de peche (I couldn't find this so used creme de framboise)
1. Slice 500g of the strawberries and place in a large, heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir in the sugar and lemon juice. Cover the bowl with cling-film and leave it like this for 30-40 minutes.
2. Check the water in the pan and keep topping up occasionally. The fruits will yield a clear pink jus.
3. Meanwhile line a large sieve with wet muslin and place over a clean bowl. Pour the strawberry jus into the sieve and leave it to drip through, but don't rub the pulp otherwise the jus will lose its clarity.
At this point Ramsey says discard the fruit pulp but what you'll have at this point is a sticky load of strawberries, which have still got some of their shape, like semi-jam. I say don't bin them, but when they're cold, stir in some plain fromage frais and serve a small dollop on top of the set jelly.
4. Soften the gelatine sheets in cold water (leave them to soak in bowl of cold water for 5 minutes). Meanwhile, pour the strawberry jus into a clean pan and heat until the point of boiling. Take off the heat. Remove the gelatine from the cold water, squeeze out any excess water then slip into the hot jus, whisking until dissolved. Pass through a sieve into a bowl.
5. Allow to cool, then mix in the champagne and creme de peche. Leave until the jelly is cold and just on the point of setting.
6. Meanwhile, thinly slice the remaining 100g strawberries. Have ready 8 wine glasses of Champagne flutes. Dip the strawberries into a little of the setting jelly and stick to the side of the glass. (I did this before the jelly was fully set and then lay the glasses on their sides in the fridge, so the strawberries were well stuck on when i added the jelly)
7. To make the jelly sparkle, whisk the setting jelly (lightly, you don't want to make the Champers go flat) until it's lightly frothy. Divide it between the glasses and chill until completely set.
8. To serve, Ramsey recommends a thin float of double cream, or a layer of raspberry cream and a spoonful of whipped cream. I say use the strawberries from earlier, mix with fromage frais, and put a dollop on top that's tidier than my effort.
So what's it like? Well it's fair to say that i'm not a fan of jelly. And this is a recipe from a chef with 3 Michelin stars. Ramsey wins. This tastes fantastic. Unlike cheap packet-jelly gloop, this is light and as Ramsey says, "the Champagne bubbles add a pretty pickle as you bite into the soft melting texture." It's fizzy jelly!
The texture's much lighter to that of packet-jelly. Packet-jelly wobbles. This shimmies.
Couldn't you just see yourself eating one of these on a hot summer day at Wimbledon? I've never been so I had one whilst watching Ana Ivanovic go crashing out.
2 comments:
I'm surprised you got the strawberries to suspend in that way, rather than sinking to the bottom. Clever...
It's really easy. When you wash them, make sure you wash just enough gravity off so they neither sink nor float.
Either that or just put them in a bit of the semi-set jelly liquid and let them set in the empty glasses, on their sides, in the fridge.
When they're stuck on, add the rest of the jelly.
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